SO far as my own conduct was concerned, now that I was again on the island of Tahiti, I continued with Mr. Hill. Two gen d' armes followed us or hung around where we were at work all day, and at night tramped about the house where we lived. At daylight the night guards disappeared in the brush. One morning I stepped three or four rods into the brush, for my morning devotions, and as I was engaged with my eyes closed I heard a rustling3 in the leaves. Supposing it was the hogs4 that ran around there, I paid no attention until I was through, when I saw two officers standing5 within fifteen feet of and in front of me, gazing straight into my face. They were heavily armed, but did not interfere6 with me, so I returned to the house, while they mounted the fence and sat there till we went to work, when they followed us up as usual.
During this time I met with Mr. Howe, the presiding official of the Protestant mission on the islands. He appeared to feel very sympathetic toward me, and invited me to take dinner with him and his good old lady. I accepted the invitation, and he made me a present of a Tahitian Bible, also of a Tahitian and English dictionary. He is the same Mr. Howe spoken of before, when he was so radically7 opposed to me, but now he seemed charitable and kind. After I left his house, and was passing along in sight of the Catholic bishop's office, the bishop sent a servant after me, inviting8 me in to dine and wine. Accordingly, I called, finding him a very polite gentleman. He met me at the door of his library, took me by the hand and courteously10 led me to a seat, then set out some wine, saying he was very sorry that he had but one glass of wine in the room, though he set out two glasses, but poured all the wine into one, which he presented to me. At that moment the saying of the Lord Jesus came to my mind, to be harmless as doves but wise as serpents. I adopted as much French politeness as I was capable of, divided the wine into the two glasses, presented him the one with the most wine in, telling him that I could not think of drinking alone—that he must join me or I should decline his very kind offer. I thought that if he could stand to drink the largest half of the wine, I could afford to try the least half, and as I preferred him to drink his first, I delayed until he had swallowed it, when I drank to his health. We had a sociable11 chat, and he insisted on my stopping to supper, when he would have plenty of wine. I told him I could not, as my attendants, the gen d' armes, were waiting patiently for me. He next presented me two books, telling me that they would show how the priesthood had descended12 from Peter down to the present pope. The books being in the French language, were of no use to me, so I bade him good-bye.
I learned from Mr. Kelly that the governor was impatient at my stay on the island, so I disposed of everything that I could spare, raised sixty dollars thereby13, and prepared to sail on the English ship Abyssinia, from Sydney, Australia, and commanded by Captain George Gordon.
November 24, 1852, I boarded the Abyssinia, paying sixty dollars steerage passage to San Francisco, California. When I got on the deck, the seamen14 and some of the passengers crowded around me, and stared at me as if I had been a wild beast. When I saluted16 them with, "Gentlemen, how are you?" they looked at each other as much as to say, "Shall we return the compliment?" At last one of the sailors took off his hat, made a bow, and said, "Please sir, can you speak English?" I answered, "Yes, sir, a little." The next question was, "And are you a Mormon Elder?" My reply was, "Yes," and was followed with, "Well, pardon me, but I thought a Mormon Elder had a cloven foot and a shell on his back, and I expected that you would be brought aboard in a case, as I have been told that the Mormons were a kind of half beast, fierce, and wild."
Some of the others said that they had had the same ideas. A third party exclaimed, "What d—d lies they have told us! We have been anxious to see this Elder ever since we heard there was one coming on board, and we thought to see you brought in a big cage. We cannot see any difference in you and common men." So much for wild and slanderous17 stories afloat in those days and in that part of the world.
Shortly the vessel18 was got under way, but just as we entered the passage the wind slackened so that we came very near being crushed against the reef. Five boats from a French warship19 came to our aid, as we had cast anchor to save ourselves, and the Frenchmen towed us back to a safe location, where we lay until the 26th.
We tried it again on the 27th, and as we passed out of the harbor we went close to the French warship, which was weighing anchor. On the deck stood the Catholic bishop, who held up his cross and made signs. He said there was trouble in Anaa again, and he was going there.
After we sailed, the captain of the Abyssinia asked me to lend him some books on Mormonism. I let him take the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine20 and Covenants21. He returned them on the 29th, saying, "I believe the books and your prayers have made me sick." He did not trouble me any more about Mormonism, yet treated me with proper respect, as a rule.
There were several male and female passengers on board, a portion of the latter being of the lewd22 class, judging from their actions; and the former were not much better. I loaned all the books that I had to passengers and seamen. Nearly all on board treated me in a courteous9 manner.
On November 30th a waterspout passed close to our ship, causing much excitement. Its roar was frightful23, as it carried a very great column of water up into the air, and spread it out into the clouds like a whirlwind on land, but on so much larger scale as to be a dread24 to seamen.
December 1st we sighted what the captain called Flint's Island. It was large and high, and appeared to be inhabited. On the 10th we crossed the equator, where the seamen had some sport at the expense of several of the passengers who had not crossed it before. They made preparations for Neptune25, and told many stories of his pranks26 with those who dared cross his path without paying penance27, or treating the ship's crew.
On the 20th we encountered a terrific storm, which carried away most of our sail, and left us badly damaged. On Christmas day we had something like a tidal wave in a calm sea. The wave was so great that it swept away the main topgallant sail and the jib boom. Two seamen were carried below for dead. The ship sprung a leak in the bow, and the peril28 became so great that all the seamen and the male passengers were called to lend a hand. It being in the night, the consternation29 was so intense that passengers were on the deck in their night clothes, screaming. Some shouted to pray, and others did pray with all the fervor30 at their command, especially when the carpenter, reporting that the vessel was parting in her beams, called for men to turn the windlass, and for kettles of hot tar15, blankets, caulking31, chisels32, and anything to make repairs. As the wind began to freshen, the boat headed before it, without any regard to course. The next order was, "Down with the hatches!"
"Aye, aye, sir."
"Then sound her."
"Aye, sir."
"How is she?"
"Gaining water, sir."
It was hurry to the pumps, and the carpenter was asked, "How is she?"
"All right, sir."
"Heave away at the windlass! Keep the pumps going!"
The carpenter had been pinning timber across the breach33, and with windlass power preventing if possible the seam from spreading any more until he could make it safe. Blankets were dipped in hot tar and driven into the parting. With these efforts and by keeping the pumps going steadily34 for eight hours, the boat was partly freed from the rolling sea, and at length was patched up and put on her course. The captain then said that his greatest fear had been that, as his cargo35 was coal, the friction36 of the fuel and the water coming in below would cause the cargo to take fire. When we got righted and on our course, we had light winds, and cold and wet weather until the voyage was ended.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
rev
|
|
| v.发动机旋转，加快速度 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
bishop
|
|
| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
rustling
|
|
| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
hogs
|
|
| n.（尤指喂肥供食用的）猪( hog的名词复数 )；（供食用的）阉公猪；彻底地做某事；自私的或贪婪的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
interfere
|
|
| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
radically
|
|
| ad.根本地，本质地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
inviting
|
|
| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
courteous
|
|
| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
courteously
|
|
| adv.有礼貌地，亲切地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
sociable
|
|
| adj.好交际的，友好的，合群的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
descended
|
|
| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
thereby
|
|
| adv.因此，从而 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
seamen
|
|
| n.海员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
tar
|
|
| n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
saluted
|
|
| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
slanderous
|
|
| adj.诽谤的，中伤的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
vessel
|
|
| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
warship
|
|
| n.军舰，战舰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
doctrine
|
|
| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
covenants
|
|
| n.（有法律约束的）协议( covenant的名词复数 )；盟约；公约；（向慈善事业、信托基金会等定期捐款的）契约书 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
lewd
|
|
| adj.淫荡的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
frightful
|
|
| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
dread
|
|
| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
Neptune
|
|
| n.海王星 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
pranks
|
|
| n.玩笑，恶作剧( prank的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
penance
|
|
| n.（赎罪的）惩罪 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
peril
|
|
| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
consternation
|
|
| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
fervor
|
|
| n.热诚；热心；炽热 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
caulking
|
|
| n.堵缝；敛缝；捻缝；压紧v.堵（船的）缝( caulk的现在分词 )；泥…的缝；填塞；使不漏水 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
chisels
|
|
| n.凿子，錾子( chisel的名词复数 )；口凿 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
breach
|
|
| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
steadily
|
|
| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
cargo
|
|
| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
friction
|
|
| n.摩擦，摩擦力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |